COURSE SUMMARY

This three-day workshop focuses on the commercial, economic and technical aspects of the entire olefin and polyolefin value chain and associated petrochemicals markets. Delegates will be guided from feedstocks, such as crude oil, through olefinic feedstock processing and polymer manufacturing all the way to the finished products as they are used in the end markets. The costs and economics of producing the basic olefins and polymers are covered with consideration of the implications on marketing and economics. Historical and future industry direction and developments will be explored to provide real-life context. Fundamental process chemistry integral to the industry will be discussed as well.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The program has been designed for all professionals involved in either the commercial or technical aspects of polymer and petrochemical processes. It is invaluable to market analysts interested in the polyolefins sector. Engineers and industrial chemists working in polymer and petrochemical companies, located in company headquarters, chemical plants or integrated petrochemicals/polymer complexes will find the information covered extremely beneficial.

Additionally, the program will be relevant and quite useful to those wanting to gain an insight into the relationship between cost, economics and marketing in this business.

COURSE CONTENTS

Introduction

Petrochemicals and Petroleum

The natural gas revolution

Coal, where does it fit in?

Derivatives and uses

Crude oil and refining

Market growth and costs

The Petrochemical Value Chains

The dynamics of petrochemical feedstocks

Refining and gas separation

Olefins – Costs, Margins, Consumption and Investment

An introduction to Polyolefins

Aromatics Sources, Business and Technologies

Sources of aromatics

Supply and demand

Costs and pricing

Styrene – routes to manufacture

The Petrochemicals Business

The origins and history of the industry

What makes the industry unique

Costs, Margins and Prices

Strategies employed by the major players

Industry Profitability

Ethylene and Propylene markets

Olefin Economics

Steam Cracker Margins

Feedstock costs and their impact on ethylene cost

Differences in costs and margins between producing regions

Polymer Fundamentals

Plastics: what are they and how are they made

Methods of manufacture

Polymer types

Key properties

Polymer Markets and Applications

Polyethylene Fundamentals

LDPE, HDPE and LLDPE, what are they

How they are made

What they are used for

Margins and consumption

Business Structure

What the future holds

Polypropylene Fundamentals

What is polypropylene

How is it made

What it is used for

Margins and consumption

Business Structure

What the future holds

Polymers to Products

The properties of finished products

The role of the Processor

Markets and Applications

The Polyolefins Business

The major players and their profiles

2008 and the slump

Consumption Trends

Market Growth

New Capacity Investment

Trade between regions

Case Study

There will be an interactive case study on polyolefins

TESTIMONIALS

“A very complete course for new entrants in the business.”N.B., Atofina